Bournemouth University becomes a refill campus to tackle single-use plastic waste

Bournemouth University has officially become the first Refill Campus, meaning that it will be providing refill points across the university to encourage use of reusable cups as a green alternative to plastic bottles.

As we all know, plastic pollution is running rife worldwide. As a direct result, climate change has only worsened and the repercussions of that have become prominent internationally. In an attempt to better their carbon footprint, Bournemouth University has exemplified their efforts with going green.

After the new initiative, there are 45 new refill points to make filling up your reusable cup or bottle with fresh, drinking water super duper easy.

Head of Facilities Management at the university, Stephen Jones, explained that the new initiative will tackle both waste and littering on campus. He said: “We know that this is not only key in terms of minimising waste and litter, but it is also essential as we play a wider role as custodians of the campus and collectively responsible for the local natural environment.”

These new implementations go hand-in-hand with Bournemouth University’s previously existing, Returnable Cup Scheme. Students who purchase a reusable hot drinks cup at any of the barista stations across campus can either keep the cup for their own use, or exchange it once used for a token. Tokens can then be used to collect a reusable cup whenever ordering a hot drink on campus, saving on on washing up!

To add an extra bonus, if you use a reusable cup on campus, you will receive a discount on your hot drink, a nice way to thank you for helping the planet! If you don’t fancy BU’s cup scheme, but still want to help out in the progression towards a greener campus, get yourself to any coffee shop and buy a reusable one there! I can attest, there are some awesome designs.

A Win for Team BU! These forward thinking, new schemes have landed Bournemouth University The Refill Campus Award, from the charitable organisation City to Sea!

So, moral of the story is… get rid of these cups, they’re officially an ick. Keep your eyes peeled for those water stations and why not get your hands on a BU returnable cup? What’s not to love?!

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